Whatever Makes him Happy
by Sand-wolf579
Summary: Brock loved being back home with his siblings, and most of his pokémon seemed to enjoy it as well. Except for Croagunk, who just wanted to be left alone.


**A/N:** **I love Brock's Croagunk so much. He's my spirit pokémon. I seriously relate to Croagunk, and want to be like him. I just love how Croagunk does his own thing and doesn't care what anybody might think of him. I seriously relate to his solitary nature, but I especially love how he does care about the other pokémon and about Brock. Just because Croagunk usually doesn't want to be around people doesn't mean that he doesn't care about them, and that is just...it's beautiful, and makes Croagunk one of the most relatable characters on any show that I've watched, and I just had to write something about him, because I don't think that anybody with a fighting spirit and a loner nature would have an easy time living with suddenly so many kids.**

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Brock had enjoyed his time on the road. He had seen so many pokémon that he'd never even heard of before. He'd met a lot of people, a lot of _girls_ , and made many lifetime friends. He'd learned so much, and Brock wouldn't give up the experience for anything.

But now, Brock was back home. He was steadily working on becoming a pokémon doctor, and he was getting ready to settle down. It was a lot different from going on a journey with his friends as they worked on achieving their own dreams, but Brock was ready for the change. All his life he'd put his own dreams to the side to either do what was expected of him, or help others achieve what they wanted from life. Now, it was his turn.

That didn't mean that he was going to just shove those he cared about to the side. He could learn how to become a pokémon doctor most anywhere, but he chose to learn at home so that he could be back with his family again. He had really missed his younger siblings while he'd been gone, and it felt great to be around them again. Especially since they had grown more independent when he was gone.

The younger kids had learned how to do some things for themselves. They still needed help sometimes, of course they did, they were just kids, but they had learned how to help each other. Forrest especially had really stepped up, both at home and at the gym. Brock was proud of how responsible Forrest had become, but also furious at his parents, and himself, for forcing the boy to grow up faster than he should have had to.

Brock was home now though. He was more than happy to take care of his younger siblings. Especially since Forrest had taken up the mantle of being the Pewter City gym leader. Brock had never been cut out to be a gym leader. He was far more interested in caring for those around him, making sure they were happy and healthy, and that was exactly what he was able to do, both as a pokémon doctor in training, and at home with his siblings.

As Brock was still just learning how to be a pokémon doctor, he usually didn't have to travel far from Pewter City. Most of his learning and work happened at the pokémon center in Pewter City. Sometimes though he was called up by somebody a few towns over because they were having problems with their pokémon, and for one reason or another they couldn't go to Nurse Joy for help.

Brock was more than happy to make house calls, even if they sometimes meant being away from home for a few days at a time. Brock trusted his siblings to take care of themselves while he was gone, and if they really needed something, Marshtomp, Forretress, Ludicolo, and Sudowoodo were always there to help.

Brock often took one or two of his pokémon with him to make these house calls. Unless Nurse Joy needed an extra pair of hands at the pokémon center, Chansey always joined Brock. His other frequent companion for these outings was Croagunk. Brock didn't expect Croagunk to be especially helpful while they were gone, more often than not, the pokémon just sat by himself and didn't usually lift a finger unless he was specifically asked.

The reason that Brock took Croagunk with him was because he knew that Croagunk didn't feel entirely comfortable at home. His Croagunk was a solitary pokémon that enjoyed his peace and quiet, and those just weren't things that were found in a home with eight small children. Croagunk didn't necessarily seem to mind all the kids, but Brock knew that he liked having the chance to be by himself sometimes, and Brock tried to give that to Croagunk whenever he could.

Sometimes though, he couldn't.

One day, when Brock was helping out at the pokémon center, a young trainer came rushing through the doors, looking absolutely panicked. It took a few minutes for Nurse Joy to calm them down enough to learn what was wrong. Apparently the kid had been training in Viridian Forest when there had been an accident, and now his pokémon was stuck under a tree. Brock volunteered to help, but because Nurse Joy was swamped and needed his Chansey's help, he had to go home first to get some other pokémon assistance.

"Just wait here," Brock said calmly as he put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I need to grab some things. I'll be back in a few minutes, and then we'll go help your pokémon, okay?"

"O-okay." The boy sniffled slightly. Brock's Chansey came over and led the boy to a bench where he could sit while he waited. Brock knew that his Chansey would do everything in her power to calm him down. She was really good at that kind of thing.

Brock ran all the way home. He saw some of his younger siblings playing outside with Ludicolo, but he was in too much of a hurry to say more than a quick 'hello' to them. Inside he saw Yolanda and Salvadore , the third and fourth oldest, making lunch with Sudowoodo.

"Oh, hi Brock." Yolanda said happily.

"You're home early." Salvadore looked confused, which was understandable.

"I'm not here for long." Brock said as he grabbed some berries and potions from the kitchen and put them in his bag. He didn't know what state the pokémon trapped under the tree was in, but he wanted to be prepared. "Sudowoodo, I'm going to need your help. Can you go find Marshtomp?"

"Sudowoodo!" Brock's pokémon saluted and went to do as he said.

"Can you two grab some other things I might need?" Brock handed his bag to Yolanda. She and Salvadore nodded and went to grab some other medical supplies. While they went, Brock made his way to his bedroom. He knew that was where Croagunk was, and he figured that Croagunk not only might be useful, but he also might appreciate the chance to get out of the house.

"Hey, Croagunk," Brock slowly opened his door slowly and peeked inside. "I'm going out, and I thought you would like to...huh?" Brock frowned slightly when he saw Croagunk crouching in front of his mirror, just staring at his reflection. Brock hadn't always had a mirror in his room, but when he had caught Croagunk looking into any reflective surface he laid eyes on, he thought it might be appreciated. Brock didn't know what Croagunk's fascination with mirrors and reflections was all about, but it seemed to make his pokémon happy, so Brock humored him.

The only problem was that once Croagunk started looking into his reflection, it was hard to drag him away from it. Croagunk could sit there for hours and be completely content. It just didn't feel right to interrupt him, but Brock was in a hurry.

Brock slowly approached his pokémon and stood behind him. He hoped that Croagunk would feel better about being interrupted if he saw his trainer in the reflection first. Croagunk didn't move as Brock came behind him, but his gaze did flick up to meet his trainer's eyes in the reflection. Croagunk had acknowledged his presence.

Brock crouched down so he could be closer to Croagunk's level. Brock put a hand on his pokémon's head. "I need to go to Viridian Forest for a few hours. Do you want to come with me, or stay here?" Croagunk didn't reply. He just continued to look at his reflection. Brock had spent quite a bit of time with Croagunk, and he had learned how to recognize his body language. If Croagunk was interested in going with him, he would have stood up and turned around. Because Croagunk stayed in a crouching position, Brock knew that he was fine where he was.

"Alright," Brock got to his feet. "Go ahead and stay here. I'll be back as soon as I can." Brock considered asking Croagunk to keep an ear out for trouble, but he knew it wasn't necessary. Croagunk may enjoy his solitude, but he knew how to keep those around him safe. If there was trouble in the house, Croagunk wouldn't hesitate to help out, even if he would probably be cranky about it.

"Croa," Croagunk's poison sacs expanded. "Croa."

Brock was sure that was as much acknowledgement as he would get from his pokémon at this point, so he went ahead and left the room. He closed the door behind him to give Croagunk some privacy. Brock made his way back to the kitchen to find Sudowoodo and Marshtomp waiting for him. Yolanda and Salvadore were there too, ready with his bag.

"Thanks." Brock nodded his gratitude as he took his bag back. He grabbed two of his pokéballs from the side pocket of his bag and returned Sudowoodo and Marshtomp. He would travel faster on his own, and he would let his pokémon out. Brock looked at his younger siblings. "You two are in charge while I'm gone."

"We'll watch things here." Yolanda said. "Go do your thing."

"If there's an emergency, Forrest is just at the gym, and Croagunk's in my room." Brock wanted his siblings to know that there was help if they needed it, but he knew that they knew better than to bother Forrest when he was doing his gym leader duties, and they definitely knew to leave Croagunk alone unless they needed him. If they really did need help though, it was important for them to know that it was there.

Brock quickly double checked that he had everything he might need, then he ran back to the pokémon center. Brock was glad to see that Chansey had been able to calm the boy down, and the young trainer was ready to take him to where his pokémon was. Brock knew that the trainer would have been able to guide him anyways, but it was never fun to be overcome with worry and panic. It was always better to have a calm mind in times of emergency.

Brock and the young trainer, who introduced himself as Bryan, ran to Viridian Forest. Brock just hoped that Bryan hadn't been training too far away. If his pokémon was seriously hurt, it would need help as soon as possible. Brock and Bryan ran on the forest path for about fifteen minutes before they came upon a tree in the middle of the road.

"Nidoran!" Bryan cried out. "Are you okay?"

"...Nya." The response was weak, but at least they had gotten some kind of response. It let Brock know that the Nidoran wasn't so hurt that it had been knocked out, but it still needed help.

First thing's first, they needed to get rid of that tree.

"Sudowoodo, Marshtomp, we need your help." Brock let his pokémon out. They were both eager and ready, like they always were. Brock pointed to the tree. "Sudowoodo, use hammer arm, Marshtomp, tackle. But be careful, there's a pokémon under there."

Sudowoodo and Marshtomp obediently got to work destroying the fallen tree. If Chansey were here, she probably could have just lifted it up, but Sudowoodo and Marshtomp weren't as strong as she was, so they had to get rid of the tree another way.

Sudowoodo and Marshtomp went at the tree. They attacked any branch they could reach and broke it off. Brock and Bryan cleared the branches and bark from the tree. The work was slow, but the four of them were eventually able to move enough branches and leaves aside to see Nidoran. With one final hammer arm to break off the part of the trunk that was trapping Nidoran's leg, they were able to free the little pokémon.

"Nya, nya!" The blue Nidoran cried out. she was crying, though Brock didn't know if it was from pain, relief, fear, or a combination of the three.

"Nidoran!" Bryan tearfully took his pokémon in his arms and held her tight. "I was so worried."

"She might be hurt." Brock knelt on the ground and began looking through his bag. "If you don't mind, I would like to do a quick check up."

"Please." Bryan sat down next to Brock and held onto Nidoran as he checked her over. Nidoran had a number of scratches, and it seemed to be a little weak, but those problems could be solved with a few sprays of potion and a couple of Oran berries. What concerned Brock most was the leg that had been crushed under the tree. It looked sprained.

"These should help." Brock took a handful of Oran berries out of his bag and offered them to Nidoran. The little pokémon sniffed at them curiously, and then took a bite out of one. "Good," Brock pet Nidoran gently, encouraging her to continue to eat the Oran berries. With the Nidoran distracted and beginning to get her energy back, Brock turned his attention to her leg.

"...It doesn't look too bad." Brock said after he had studied the leg for a moment. It was sprained, but it should heal just fine. Brock took some bandages out of his bag and sprayed them with some potion. He gently wrapped the bandages around Nidoran's leg. "This should do it. Try to keep her off her leg, and she'll be just fine in a few days."

"Thank you." Bryan hugged Nidoran close. "I didn't know what to do."

"You came and got help," Brock put a hand on Bryan's shoulder. "That was the best thing you could have done."

"Sudo, sudowoodo." Brock's pokémon nudged his arm. Brock looked at Sudowoodo, who gestured to the tree.

"Did you find something?" Brock got up and went to take a look. Sudowoodo and Marshtomp had been working on clearing the tree from the road so that it wouldn't be a hazard for anybody else. Brock had thought that they were just moving the tree, but Sudowoodo seemed insistent that there was something to look at.

Marshtomp gave Brock a large piece of bark. It looked decayed, but the rest of the tree looked perfectly fine. This wasn't normal decay, it looked more like infection from a poison attack. Brock looked back at Bryan and Nidoran. Bryan had said that they had been training when the tree had fallen, and Nidoran was a poison type pokémon.

"Bryan, were you and Nidoran practicing your attacks on this tree?" Brock asked.

"Yeah," Bryan looked down at Nidoran. "She learned poison sting today, and we wanted to figure out how to use it right."

Brock nodded. It was good that they had wanted to control their attacks, but it was something that had to be done safely. "You understand that poison attacks are super effective against grass types right?"

"Of course." Bryan said.

"Did you know that they're also super effective against normal plants?" Brock held out the bark for Bryan to see. The kid's eyes widened in realization.

"...no." Bryan looked sheepish. "I didn't think about that."

"It's great that you want to control your pokémon's attacks," Brock said. "But control isn't just about knowing how to use an attack, it's about understanding just how much strength is behind an attack and what it can do." Trainers had to adjust their training based on their pokémon's skills, personalities, and what their surroundings were. "Next time, you can get a training dummy, or a practice on some rocks."

"Yeah, I'll do that." Bryan stood up and pet his Nidoran. "Thanks again."

"Take care of yourself." Brock said. "And try to be more careful next time."

"I will." Bryan said. "It's getting late. I'm supposed to be home soon." It wasn't all that late, but if the kid's parents had expected him home by lunch, then he probably would be in a hurry.

"Go ahead." Brock said. "We'll take care of this." Now that the emergency had been taken care of, he wasn't in as much of a hurry. They needed to get the tree out of the path. Once they did that, they would go home.

With Brock, Sudowoodo, and Marshtomp all working together, it didn't take them too long to clear the tree away. In five to ten minutes, the path was cleared again and the remains of the tree were back in the forest where it could decay properly.

"You two did great." Brock said to his pokémon. "You guys ready to go home?" Marshtomp and Sudowoodo both liked that suggestion a lot. The three of them went on their way back to Pewter City. Brock didn't normally travel with his pokémon at his side, but he wasn't going on a journey, he was just going home. His pokémon could handle a mile or two walk.

It took nearly an hour for them to get back to Pewter City. They had taken their time and gone slowly. It had been too long since Brock had just walked around a forest. He hadn't realized just how much he had missed it. He lived right next to a forest, there was nothing keeping him from getting back into the habit. He would have to put some effort into it, because this was really nice, just him and his pokémon.

When they reached Pewter City Brock considered going straight to the pokémon center, but he decided against it. Afternoons were always pretty hectic around the house, and he was sure that Salvadore and Yolanda would appreciate the help. Besides, he hadn't eaten lunch, and he was getting pretty hungry.

Brock opened the door, expecting to be tackled by his youngest siblings who were always ecstatic to see him. Nobody came to greet him, which was Brock's first warning that something was wrong, the second was that Marshtomp suddenly stiffened. He could sense something with the fin on top of his head.

"Marsh, marshtomp." The pokémon ran forward, heading for the rooms in the back. Brock didn't hesitate to follow him. He didn't know what had happened, but he had the feeling that it wasn't something good.

Brock was greeted in the hallway by Yolanda, who looked somewhat distressed, but mostly frustrated. "I tried to tell them." Yolanda said defensively, like she was afraid that he would blame her for something. "I told them not to go in your room, but they didn't listen to me. They never listen to me."

Brock felt concerned and slightly nervous. "What happened?" He continued down the hall to his bedroom. Yolanda followed behind him. His bedroom door was wide open, and nearly all of his siblings, as well as his pokémon, were in the room. Despite the crowded room, Brock could easily piece together what had happened.

Ludicolo was leaning against the wall, looking a little ill. Brock's youngest siblings, Billy and Tilly were clutching onto Ludicolo and crying. Suzie and Timmy were also crying, though they also looked completely terrified. Salvadore had his hands on Suzie and Timmy's shoulders, though Brock didn't know if he was trying to comfort them, or if he wanted to be ready to pull them back and protect them if he had to.

On the other side of the room, Croagunk stood completely still, his body low in an attack ready position. Croagunk's head was lowered in a way that Brock had only seen once before, whenever Team Galactic's Toxicroak had been around. Croagunk was always really powerful, but when he got that look in his eyes he actually wanted to do damage. Brock didn't like that look in Croagunk's eyes. Especially not when he saw a purple tint at the tips of the pokémon's hands.

"Croagunk!" Brock's tone was sharper than he meant it to be, but he was scared. Croagunk was an anti-social pokémon who didn't understand why he shouldn't use his attacks on a person. Brock could recover easily from a poison jab, it was uncomfortable, but bearable. But just because he was used to it didn't mean that he wanted any of his siblings to go through the same thing. Especially not when Croagunk was like this.

Croagunk reluctantly turned his attention away from the younger kids as he shifted his gaze towards Brock. The dark expression on Croagunk's face was gone so quickly it was as though it had never been there at all.

"Croa," Croagunk just stared blankly at Brock, who began to feel slightly unnerved, like he always did when Croagunk looked at him like that. "Croa." Brock didn't know what was going through his pokémon's mind, and he didn't think he would soon learn. Croagunk, who didn't seem to be happy with the way that Brock was looking at him, ran out of the room. Brock was tempted to go after him, but he felt like his siblings needed him a little more than his pokémon did.

Besides, Croagunk couldn't explain what had happened, but Brock's siblings could.

"What happened here?" Brock asked. "Why was Croagunk so upset?" Croagunk was not an emotional pokémon. It took a lot for him to really react at all, especially like this.

"I don't know." Timmy said too quickly, which told Brock that even if his brother didn't know exactly what had upset Croagunk so much, he knew that he was at least somewhat responsible for it.

Brock forced himself to remain calm, even as he felt his temper rising. He was very passionate about trainers treating their pokémon with love and respect. It really got under his skin when a trainer mistreated their pokémon. Brock's siblings weren't trainers yet though, and they especially weren't Croagunk's trainer. They didn't know Croagunk the way that Brock did, so it was understandable that they didn't understand how to deal with him. Brock would teach them, but he would have to be patient about it.

"We'll start with an easier question." Brock said gently. He knelt down so he was at his siblings' level. "What were you doing in my room?"

Timmy and Suzie exchanged glances. Whatever had happened, these two were in the middle of it. "We just wanted to play." Suzie said quietly.

Brock sighed and took Suzie's hand. He looked her in the eyes. "Croagunk's not like Ludicolo and Sudowoodo, he doesn't like to play with people, or with other pokémon."

"Why not?" Timmy asked. "Why's he so weird?"

Brock looked sharply at his brother, who shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. "There's nothing wrong with Croagunk. He just...has his own way of doing things."

Timmy looked at the ground. "...I never said there was something wrong with him." He muttered. It wasn't quite an apology, but it had to be good enough for the moment. Brock still needed to know what had upset Croagunk so much, because as much as he enjoyed his privacy, two little kids invading his personal space wouldn't have done more than annoy him. Croagunk probably would have just walked away from them. Something else had to have happened to put him over the edge.

"What did you do when he didn't play with you?" Brock kept his voice purely curious, free of any accusation. He wasn't trying to blame them for anything, he just wanted to know what had happened.

"...It was an accident." Suzie snifled. "We didn't try to-"

"What happened?" Brock pressed.

"He wouldn't look away from that stupid mirror." Timmy said. "We just wanted him to stop ignoring us."

The mirror. Brock had been so focused on his siblings and Croagunk that he hadn't even noticed the mirror. Now that it had been brought to his attention, Brock noticed that the mirror wasn't standing against the wall anymore, it was on the floor, shattered.

"...You broke his mirror?" Brock's voice was quiet. At least he knew what was wrong. He didn't understand why Croagunk had such a fascination with his reflection, he just knew that it meant a lot to him. First Croagunk's privacy had been interrupted, which would have put him on edge, and then two kids invaded his personal bubble and refused to leave him alone. Whether it was an accident or on purpose, either Timmy or Suzie had broken Croagunk's mirror, and he had snapped.

"It was an accident," Suzie repeated tearfully.

"I know." Brock pulled Suzie closer and embraced her. He knew that she wasn't just talking about breaking the mirror, she was talking about upsetting Croagunk. She and Timmy had pushed when they really shouldn't have, but they hadn't meant any harm. Brock looked at Timmy, who looked somewhat ashamed. Brock smiled gently and held an arm out towards his brother. Timmy didn't hesitate to join the embrace.

"It's okay," Brock said calmly. "I'm not mad at you two." A little bit disappointed, and really concerned, but not angry. "Can you tell me, did Croagunk threaten or try to attack you?" Brock knew that Croagunk had looked ready to attack, but he might have just been trying to intimidate them. If he _had_ been threatening them…

"The scary pokémon hurt Ludicolo." Tilly cried out. Brock immediately turned his attention to his pokémon. He had noticed that Ludicolo hadn't been looking too good, but he hadn't thought that it was because of Croagunk.

"Ludicolo." Brock's pokémon tried to wave off his concern and act like he was okay. "Ludicolo."

"Let me look." Brock stood up and approached Ludicolo. Brock knew that Ludicolo didn't like conflict, and he probably didn't blame Croagunk for anything, but if he was hurt, Brock had to know. Ludicolo reluctantly lifted his arm and showed it to Brock. He could definitely see where Croagunk's poison jab had hit, but it didn't look that bad. Despite how strong Croagunk's attack was, and Ludicolo's weakness to poison attacks, he was only mildly poisoned. Croagunk must have been holding back. That, at least, was reassuring.

"You'll be okay." Brock assured his pokémon. He grabbed one of the antidotes that he kept handy around his room. "Now, this might sting." He warned as he sprayed the antidote on. Ludicolo flinched, but otherwise didn't react. "There, doesn't that feel better?"

"Ludicolo." Brock's pokémon had already started to look better.

"I'm glad." Brock smiled at Ludicolo and turned back to his siblings. "Will you guys be okay in here for a few minutes? I want to talk to Croagunk."

Suzie and Timmy nodded, determined to behave themselves to make up for what they had done. "We'll be good."

"I'll keep an eye on them." Yolanda promised. Salvadore nodded to say that he would help too. Brock was glad for his siblings' willingness to help. It made him feel a little better about going to talk to Croagunk, but not completely better.

As much as Brock hated to admit it, a part of him was dreading this conversation with Croagunk, and he hated it. Croagunk was his pokémon, he shouldn't be so reluctant to talk to his own pokémon.

It was just...hard. Sometimes, Brock felt like he didn't know Croagunk at all. How was he supposed to teach Croagunk that he couldn't lash out like he had when he didn't fully understand why Croagunk had done it in the first place?

But he had to try. At the very least, Croagunk deserved his effort.

Brock ran a hand through his hair and left the room. He wasn't looking forward to this, and knowing Croagunk, neither was he. It was something that had to happen though, so it was better that they just get it over and done with.

"Croagunk!" Brock called out for his pokémon. Though his words were loud, there was no bite to them. He didn't want to make Croagunk think that he was mad at him, because he wasn't, not really. "Croagunk!"

"Sudo," Sudowoodo ran up to Brock and gestured outside. "Sudowoodo."

"He went out?" Brock asked.

"Sudowoodo." The pokémon nodded.

Brock smiled. "Alright, thanks." Brock ran outside and then stopped in his tracks as he realized he didn't know where to go from there. Croagunk rarely ever left the house, so Brock didn't know what places in Pewter City his pokémon might have run off to.

...Run.

Croagunk had ran away from the situation. Brock hadn't thought twice about it at the time, but now it really bothered him. Croagunk was a fighter. It wasn't like him to run away from something. Sure, Croagunk was usually more than happy to chase after somebody, and it wasn't all that unusual for him to walk out of a situation that he had gotten bored of, but during all their time together Brock couldn't think of a single instance where Croagunk had actually run away from anything.

But now, Croagunk had run away from _him,_ and Brock didn't know if it was just because he needed some space, or if he was actually _gone._

"Croagunk!" Brock needed to find him. "Croagunk!" Even if he didn't know where in the city to look, he probably wouldn't find him by standing in one spot. He also wouldn't likely find him on his own. Fortunately, he didn't have to look by himself

Brock made his way back inside to find Sudowoodo where he had left him. "Can you go get Marshtomp and Forretress? Croagunk's missing, and I need some help finding him." Brock was sure that he probably sounded completely panicked, but Sudowoodo stayed completely calm. He just saluted and went to get the others. While Sudowoodo was doing that, Brock went back outside to begin the search.

Brock didn't know how Croagunk felt about familiar vs. unfamiliar places, so he had no guarantee that Croagunk would be more likely to go somewhere like the pokémon center or the gym as opposed to anywhere else in the city. But he had to begin somewhere, so he figured he might as well start with the pokémon center, because it was conveniently close to their house.

Brock ran all the way to the pokémon center. Once he got there the first thing he saw was his Chansey. She was doing some basic work in the lobby, and that was how Brock knew that Croagunk wasn't here. No matter how stoic Croagunk's expression normally was, Chansey had a gift of being able to tell if a person or pokémon felt ill or upset about something. If Chansey thought that somebody was upset, she would do whatever she could to help them. If Croagunk was at the pokémon center, she would be helping him, not cleaning.

Still, there was no harm in asking.

"Have you seen Croagunk?" Brock asked as he tried to catch his breath.

"Chansey?" Chansey frowned slightly, looking both confused and concerned. She shook her head, though she looked like she really didn't want to. She wanted to tell Brock what he wanted to hear. "Chansey, chansey?" She approached Brock, looking like she wanted to comfort him.

"No, I'm fine." Brock waved off her concern about him. "I'm just worried about Croagunk."

"Chansey." Even if Chansey didn't know what had happened at home, she looked worried about Croagunk too.

"Oh, Brock," Nurse Joy came into the lobby from the back with her own Chansey at her side. "How did things go?"

"It went well." Brock said. "But one of my pokémon ran off. I'm trying to find him." The thought of flirting with Nurse Joy at this point barely even crossed Brock's mind. His mind was on his pokémon.

"Oh dear." Nurse Joy looked distressed. She was always sympathetic about other people's problems. "I hope you find him." Nurse Joy looked at Brock's Chansey. "Why don't you go help your trainer? I'm sure we can manage things here."

"Chansey." Chansey looked very grateful, and Brock was too. He could use all the help he could get. And he thought he knew of another place to get such help.

"It would be great if you would start looking around the city." Brock said to Chansey. "I'm going to go to the gym." The Pewter City gym was one of the few places that Brock knew Croagunk actually liked being. Croagunk enjoyed watching gym battles, and a couple of days he had watched spent the entire day at the gym, just watching the battles.

At the gym, it was clear that Croagunk wasn't there, and he hadn't been there all day. Forrest was too busy with his gym leader responsibilities to leave, but he loaned Crobat back to Brock to help him look, which he appreciated.

Pewter City wasn't all that large. With four of his pokémon helping him, especially when two of them had abilities that made looking for something a lot easier, Brock had hoped that the search wouldn't last that long. His hope slowly died away as hours passed and Croagunk was still nowhere to be found.

When the sun began to set, Brock realized that maybe it was too much to expect Croagunk to still be in the city. He had just started to consider the possibility of expanding the search to Viridian and Cerulean Cities when Crobat flew back to him. Brock couldn't understand what Crobat was saying, but he seemed to have found something, and Brock felt hope build up within him again.

Crobat led Brock to Viridian Forest. So Croagunk _had_ left Pewter City. But had he done so because he had thought that the city was too crowded and noisy and he just needed some space, or had he actually _left?_

These thoughts were racing around Brock's mind as he followed Crobat. He vaguely noticed that Crobat lead him off the path, and he hoped that this was a sign that Croagunk had just been wandering around because he wanted some space. If Croagunk had actually run away, Brock believed he would have been smarter than to get lost five minutes after entering Viridian Forest.

Not long after they veered off the path Brock saw a small river up ahead, and sitting on a rock at the edge of the water was Croagunk. Brock breathed a sigh of relief. He'd found Croagunk. His pokémon wasn't gone forever.

"Thank you, Crobat." Brock said gratefully to his old friend. "Go let the others know that they don't have to look anymore. I'll take it from here."

Crobat nodded and flew off. Brock was finally left alone with Croagunk. He still didn't know what he would say to him, but Brock wasn't concerned about that. He was too relieved that he had found Croagunk at all. He would worry about talking to Croagunk in a little bit. At least for that moment, Brock was content to just be with his pokémon.

"Here you are." Brock said. Croagunk didn't get up from where he was crouching, but he did turn his head to look back at Brock. "Mind if I join you?" Croagunk stared at his trainer for a few moments before he stood up, walked to a side of the rock to make room on the other end, and crouched down again.

Brock smiled at the invitation. At least he knew that Croagunk wasn't mad at him. Brock sat down on the rock. He and Croagunk fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes. They didn't have to say or do anything. They just sat there and watched the river flow.

As the sun set and the cooler evening air set in Brock began to feel the need to say something, anything. "You know, I was really scared when I saw that you were gone. I thought that you had run away. It's good to know that I had nothing to worry about." Brock couldn't help but let out a short laugh, more out of relief than anything. "I mean, if you _had_ run away, I'd like to think you'd be smarter than to go somewhere so close to where you were running from."

"Gunk." Croagunk let out a sound that resembled a cough and turned his head to the side. It was what Croagunk did when he was either insulted or trying to hide his feelings. Croagunk stood up and began to walk away. Brock panicked. He knew that he was right, but his tone must have insulted Croagunk somehow. Brock knew that if he let Croagunk walk away now, that was it. He would be gone.

Wait!" Brock reached out and grabbed Croagunk's arm. He pulled his pokémon close and held him tight. Croagunk struggled, as Brock suspected he would. Brock had never really tried to engage physical contact with Croagunk to this extent. He didn't know for sure that Croagunk would shy away from it, but considering how much he liked his privacy, he had just assumed that he would be fond of his personal space as well. It seemed he had suspected right.

"I'm sorry." Brock said quietly. Croagunk continued to struggle in his arms, but he didn't slacken his grip. He knew that he was making his pokémon uncomfortable, and he regretted that, but he couldn't let Croagunk run off. Not like this. Brock wanted to calm Croagunk, but he really didn't know how. He didn't even know what was bothering his pokémon in the first place, but he should.

He was learning how to become a pokémon doctor. He was a pokémon breeder. He should be able to understand his own pokémon well enough to know what would push them too far, but he didn't. At least, he didn't understand Croagunk.

"I'm sorry." Brock repeated. "I'm sorry I'm not the trainer you need."

Croagunk stopped struggling so suddenly it was like he froze. "...Croa?"

"I know that you need your privacy." Brock said. "You need to be able to feel like you can defend yourself. I can't give you that." Despite his typing, Croagunk wasn't usually motivated to fight. When he felt threatened though, Croagunk shouldn't have to feel like he had to just roll over and take it. He was a fighting type. It was in his blood to have a stronger sense of fight rather than flight, but that afternoon he had ran.

Being in Pewter City, in a domestic lifestyle that fought against Croagunk's every instinct, it just wasn't good for him.

Brock wanted to provide the environment for Croagunk that he could thrive in, but he couldn't put his own happiness to the side for somebody else's. Brock needed to be his own person, live his life for more than other people and pokémon. Brock wished that he could do both, but he didn't see how. Brock needed some time at home, to be back with his family. At the moment, it was where he wanted to be, but it was exactly what Croagunk _didn't_ need or want.

"Maybe you'd be better off with a different trainer." Brock loosened his grip on Croagunk. He expected his pokémon to pull out of his grip. Croagunk did indeed pull away from Brock, but he then turned around and attacked Brock. Croagunk moved as he would if he used poison jab, but there was no toxin to the attack, and not a lot of strength behind it either. Croagunk wasn't trying to hurt him, but he was trying to send a message.

"Croa," Croagunk looked directly at Brock, and he couldn't help but meet his pokémon's eyes. Croagunk always had an intense gaze, but there was something different about the way he was looking at him. It looked the same as it did every single other time Croagunk looked at him, but Brock couldn't help but think back to the first time that he had really met Croagunk, when he had caught him.

Croagunk had looked at him in this exact way back then. Brock hadn't understood Croagunk any better back then than he did now, but for some reason when he had looked in those eyes back then, he had gotten a message loud and clear.

' _You're weird, but I like you. Let me come with you.'_

Now, the look in Croagunk's eyes said basically the same thing, but one word was different.

' _Let me_ stay _with you_.'

Brock sighed. "You're not happy here." The problem was, Brock wasn't even sure if Croagunk had _ever_ been happy. At least, not in the way that he was used to. The best he had seen was when Croagunk was content, but maybe what Brock thought was content was actually happy for Croagunk.

But how 'happy' or content could Croagunk be if he was attacking Ludicolo, threatening Brock's siblings, and running away?

Brock tried his best to think of what, exactly, had made Croagunk most content in the past, and he realized that he didn't actually know. The closest he could think of was when Brock had decided to drag Croagunk into a bonding activity or something like that because he thought that his pokémon needed more social interaction, even if it was just with him. Brock knew that Croagunk wouldn't have done these things on his own, so why had he been so willing to do it? Was it just because Brock had asked him to?

It seemed egotistical and ridiculous, but then Brock remembered when he and Croagunk had their friendship levels tested. It had happened just a few days after Brock had caught Croagunk, so he hadn't been expecting much from the test. He had mostly just wanted to know for sure that his reclusive and strange pokémon didn't hate him. Needless to say, Brock had been pleasantly surprised when their friendship levels were rated as incredibly strong, like they had known each other for years.

Brock had been, and still was, relieved to know that Croagunk seemed to be fairly fond of him, but he didn't know why. What if he stopped doing the thing that made Croagunk like him? Would Croagunk just leave? There were a lot of things that Brock was unsure about when it came to Croagunk, including knowing what was best for him. Brock didn't think that Croagunk was happy in Pewter City, but Croagunk had made it pretty clear that he didn't want to leave.

As much as Brock didn't want to give Croagunk up, he wanted the best for him. The problem was, Brock didn't know what the best thing for Croagunk was. However, maybe Croagunk knew. After all, nobody could know Croagunk better than Croagunk knew himself. So instead of continuing to make guesses, Brock just asked Croagunk.

"Do you want to stay here?" Brock asked, before he realized that maybe that wasn't the question that either of them was looking for, so he decided to rephrase it. "Do you want to stay with me?"

"Croa." Croagunk nodded and his hand on Brock's. It was something that Croagunk had never done before, and Brock was touched.

"If that's what you want," Brock smiled and wiped his eyes before he started crying. Brock then gathered Croagunk in his arms again and stood up. Even though Croagunk was small enough, Brock had only held him like this once before, after he had gotten badly injured by Team Galactic's Toxicroak.

"Gunk." Croagunk made the cough like noise again as he turned his head towards Brock's chest in embarrassment. Croagunk was a proud pokémon, and he probably thought that it was really humiliating to be held like this, but to Brock's surprise and pleasure, Croagunk didn't try to squirm away from him. Croagunk was willing to put aside his pride and deal with his discomfort for a little bit, and to Brock, that meant a lot.

"Are you ready to go home?" Brock asked.

"Croa." Croagunk nodded and seemed to lean slightly towards Brock. He took this as a sign that Croagunk was okay with being carried home. Brock didn't know whether Croagunk would want to be let down before they saw anybody else, but at least for now he was more than happy to carry him.

They weren't all that far from Pewter City, but Brock took his time getting back. He planned on enjoying his time with Croagunk for as long as he could. Brock didn't normally like to walk around the forest at night, but there were never many wild pokémon this close to the city, and if any pokémon came to close, he knew that Croagunk would react and keep them both safe.

Despite how much Brock was taking his time, it wasn't long before they got back to Pewter City. Brock still wasn't sure if Croagunk was actually ready to be back home, but as they got closer to home and Croagunk still seemed extremely relaxed, he decided that his pokémon was probably as ready as he felt he was going to be.

When Brock got to their front door he adjusted his grip on Croagunk to free up a hand so he could open the door. Brock was barely able to open the door before he was tackled by Suzie and Timmy.

"You're back!" Suzie exclaimed loudly. Timmy didn't say anything. He just tightened his grip on Brock's leg. "You were gone for so long."

"Sorry." Brock apologized as he put his free hand on the back of Suzie's head and stroked it. "I didn't mean to be gone for so long."

"It looks like you were able to find Croagunk." Forrest came in with Yolanda and Salvadore, as well as Tommy and Cindy close behind them. Brock was sure that Billy and Tilly would be there too, but it was past their bedtime. Suzie and Timmy were technically supposed to be in bed too, but considering just how worried they had been, Brock thought that he could cut them some slack.

"It was all thanks to Crobat." Brock said. "Thanks for letting me borrow him."

"Where did Croagunk go?" Timmy asked at the same time as Suzie asked. "Why did Croagunk leave?"

Brock, who was used to his younger siblings talking at the same time, answered both of their questions at once. "He was by the river in the Viridian Forest, and he just needed some space."

"He was gone for so long though." Timmy frowned. "We were worried that he didn't want to come back." Brock decided not to mention that he had been terrified of the exact same thing.

"Croagunk's fine." Brock promised his younger siblings.

Timmy and Suzie sighed in relief at the same time. Brock felt bad for being away for so long. He had found Croagunk awhile ago, but he had taken his time to come home. Brock still felt that doing that was for the best for Croagunk's personal comfort, but he felt bad for keeping his younger siblings waiting.

Salvadore came forward put his hands on Timmy and Suzie's shoulders. "Don't you guys have something you wanted to say to Croagunk?" Salvadore encouraged calmly but still sternly. Timmy and Suzie looked at each other and nodded. Brock expected for them to just say 'sorry' and be done with it, so he was surprised when they let go of his legs and ran out of the room.

"What's going on?" Brock asked as he put Croagunk down, though his pokémon still stayed close to his side.

"Timmy and Suzie came up with something that they wanted to give to Croagunk to make up for what happened." Yolanda said.

"That's not necessary." Brock tried to say as Suzie and Timmy, who was carrying something in his hands, came back into the room.

"Yes, it is." Timmy looked hesitant for a moment before he offered the object in his hands out. Croagunk looked up at Brock, who nodded at him in encouragement. Convinced, Croagunk stepped closer to Timmy and accepted the item. Brock couldn't properly see what it was, but Croagunk seemed intrigued by it, because he stared at it, and just kept on staring at it.

"What do you have there?" Brock leaned over to get a good look and was surprised, though also kind of not, to see Croagunk's reflection. It looked like Timmy and Suzie had found a larger shard of Croagunk's broken mirror and made it into a little mirror. Despite the fact that it was an uneven shard, the sharp edges were covered by a wooden border that Brock assumed the rest of his pokémon had helped make. It was obvious that Timmy and Suzie had decorated and personalized the mirror, as it looked like something a child had gotten their hands on. It looked a little sloppy, but in the right kind of way that made it more endearing and touching.

"We even put something on the back." Suzie moved like she was going to grab the mirror from Croagunk to flip it over, which Brock wouldn't recommend, but she stopped herself. Instead she let Croagunk flip it over and Brock could see writing on the back. "See, it says 'do not touch'."

"That way, everybody will know to leave it alone." Timmy said.

Brock knew that Croagunk couldn't read the writing himself, but he understood their intentions anyways.

"Croa." Croagunk looked up from the mirror in his hands and looked at Timmy and Suzie. "Croa."

Timmy shifted uncomfortably. "We're really sorry for breaking your mirror."

"And for trying to make you play with us." Suzie said quietly. "I know I always hate it when Billy and Tilly try to get me to play something that I don't want to play."

"So…" Timmy bit his lip. "Are we cool?"

"Croa." Croagunk stared at them for a moment before he tilted his head forward slightly in a way that could barely be defined as a nod, but it was good enough for Timmy and Suzie, because they both beamed broadly when they saw it.

"Oh, thank you." Suzie clapped her hands together excitedly. She looked like she wanted to embrace Croagunk, but again she held herself back. She was learning.

"Alright, I let you guys stay up this long." Forrest said. Timmy and Suzie looked at him in disappointment, but he wasn't swayed. "We agreed that when Brock got home, you two would go to bed, so off you go."

Timmy sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes, but he didn't argue. "Fine." Timmy grumbled. He and Suzie both came to hug Brock goodnight before they headed off to their bedroom. Shortly after they left Brock noticed that Croagunk was also making his way to the bedrooms, though he was fairly certain that it wasn't because he wanted to say goodnight to the kids.

Brock followed Croagunk down the hall until they got to his room. Croagunk went to the wall that his mirror had been leaning against before it had shattered. Brock was relieved to see that all of the broken glass had been cleaned up. He didn't want Croagunk, or anybody else, to hurt their feet on stay bits of glass.

Croagunk took his little mirror and leaned it against the wall the same way he had with the other one, and then he crouched down and began to stare down at it. To Brock it looked a little uncomfortable, so he told himself that tomorrow he would find a nail so that they could hang the mirror a foot or so off the ground so that it was at eye level when Croagunk was crouching.

Brock sat down at the edge of his bed. "Thank you." He said simply. For forgiving Timmy and Suzie. For not leaving for good. For being able to give this crowded home another try. Brock was grateful for all of it, but he didn't really know how to say it, so he just said 'thank you' and hoped that Croagunk understood.

Brock really was unbelievably relieved that Croagunk had wanted to come home with him. Still, some changes would have to be made, because Brock wanted his pokémon to be as happy and comfortable as possible. If that meant getting a lock on his door that would be easy enough to unlock from both sides, but would be enough to discourage his siblings from entering unless it was necessary, then Brock would do it.

Another thing that Brock was planning to do, both for his own happiness and Croagunk's, was to set some time aside each week to talk a walk in the forest. It was something that Brock missed about traveling with his friends, and he knew that Croagunk would appreciate the one-on-one quiet time for just the two of them.

These weren't big changes, and there were probably more things that Brock could do. Changing everything all at once probably wouldn't be good for anybody, so Brock thought that it would be best to make these small changes and give everybody the chance to get used to them. If it looked like more compromises needed to be made after that, Brock would figure it out from there.

Maybe some trainers thought that all of this was a lot of effort to put in for a single pokémon, but for Brock it was worth it. He would do everything that he could to keep his pokémon and siblings happy, because they deserved it.


End file.
